Fractional provider adds Eclipse 500 to fleet mix

Fractional-ownership management company OurPlane announced the launch of the first fractional Eclipse 500 VLJ program, based in Jacksonville, Fla.

The cost to own the VLJ ($521,244 per quarter share with fixed costs of $3,999 per month, and $759 per hour, excluding the cost of the pilots) is less than the cost of chartering an aircraft or owning a corporate jet outright, the company said. An owner can fly the airplane if he or she has 750 hours total time, according to president Graham Casson. “This revolutionary aircraft means virtually every business person or executive who travels a lot can easily afford their own private jet, something few people ever thought could be a reality,” said Graham Casson, president and CEO of OurPlane. “Owning a fraction of the Eclipse 500 from OurPlane is the most economical solution available for small- to medium-size companies and many executives who consistently fly coast to mid-continent distances,” he claimed.

The decision to base the company’s first fractional program in Jacksonville was prompted by the city’s proximity to major business centers along the Eastern seaboard. “Florida is a solid market for aviation,” Casson said. “So it makes sense that our first Eclipse 500 fractional jet would land in Jacksonville.” The company plans to expand the fractional ownership program to Los Angeles; San Francisco, Dallas, Orlando, Fla.; and White Plains, N.Y.

OurPlane entered the fractional market in 1998, offering shares in Cessna and Cirrus piston airplanes. The company also currently offers customers shares in a King Air C90GT and a Pilatus PC-12. A second delivery of Eclipse 500s is slated for next month (at a location to be announced), with a total of 21 on order. The company has 15 locations in the U.S. and Canada.